The present invention generally relates to computer and Internet technology, and more particularly to technology for providing an consistent mechanism for systems (such as vendor systems) to access back-end functionality and data from services that deal with the public.
Typically, front-end business applications have been integrated with back-office host and network-based applications through a complex and non-standard set of APIs, adapters, and services. This may be thought of as a product-driven approach, since it has multiple products interfacing with the back office, each through its own set of integration, access, and security mechanisms.
There are a number of problems associated with this approach. For example, multiple database-specific access methods may be required. There may be several ways to do the same thing. There may be no organized way to provide audit information, and diagnostics may be distributed throughout the environment (e.g., in event logs and text files).
Regarding the back-end, there may be multiple vendor-supported middleware solutions in place, and there may be direct coupling of applications to an individual connectivity utility. Regarding security, there may be no single client authenticator allowing a user to interface with multiple applications, and there may be multiple entitlements systems. The security may be integrated with channel frameworks, and there may be inconsistent representation of processes and data.
Such approaches typically evolve through a history of developing redundant and diverse technologies as new infrastructure components are added for each new project. As a consequence, they have a number of drawbacks.
One problem, aside from the ones listed above, is that these various technologies often have tight coupling to individual channels and systems, making adaptation to change progressively difficult. Development and maintenance of each new solution becomes increasingly expensive and time-consuming.
Another problem with such systems is that new vendors encounter a steep learning curve when trying to interface with the various channels and systems. Also, end-to-end problem resolution between a vendor and a back-end office can be costly in time and resources.
It was with the foregoing understanding that the present invention was made.